NBA fines San Antonio Spurs $250K for resting stars

Dec. 1, 2012
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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich reacts during the second half against the Heat at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 105-100 in a game in which Popovich rested four players, sending them home from the road trip. / Steve Mitchell, US Presswire

by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports

NBA Commissioner David Stern promised substantial sanctions for San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's decision to send home four players instead of playing them against the Miami Heat on Thursday.

The NBA fined the Spurs $250,000 Friday for sending home forward Tim Duncan, guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and swingman Danny Green instead of playing them against the Heat on TNT's nationally televised game.

Popovich was not fined or suspended.

In a statement, the NBA said the Spurs' action violated league policy "against resting players in manner contrary to the best interests of the NBA."

In the statement, Stern said, "The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case. The Spurs decided to make four of their top players unavailable for an early-season game that was the team's only regular-season visit to Miami. The team also did this without informing the Heat, the media, or the league office in a timely way. Under these circumstances, I have concluded that the Spurs did a disservice to the league and our fans."

For years, Popovich has rested key players, but a majority of those times, including at least twice last season, came near the end of the season when the Spurs were preparing for the playoffs after a lengthy regular season. The Heat and Boston Celtics did not play star players in a game on April 24 last season. The Spurs, Heat and Celtics were not punished.

Popovich's strategy to do it November â?? just a month into the 2012-13 season â?? rankled Stern, even though the Spurs were finishing six-game, 10-day road trip and scheduled to play the Western Conference-leading Memphis Grizzlies in an important Southwest Division game Saturday.

The commissioner's carefully-worded statement makes clear the early-season timing was an issue.

While Popovich was operating in the best interest of his team and Stern in the best interest of the NBA, the decision to fine the Spurs raises questions that won't be answered Friday, when Stern is not expected to be made available for news media questions.

At what point in the season is it OK to rest healthy players? After the All-Star break? The last month of the season? Never?

What happens next time that a team's best interest is not the same as the league's best interest?

This is not the first time the league has fined teams for resting players. The Los Angeles Lakers were hit with a $25,000 fine at the end of the 1989-90 season and an undisclosed amount at the end of the 1984-85 season for resting key players.

Before Thursday's Heat-Spurs game, Popovich told news reporters, " We're making a wiser decision and not a macho decision. It'll give us an opportunity to stay on floor with Memphis Saturday."

Popovich did not address Stern's comments after Miami's 105-100 victory, other than to say, "How can I comment on something I haven't seen?"

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra stayed away from the topic.

"I had no idea what their mindset was. And I'm spending zero time trying to figure it out," Spoelstra said.

Heat guard Ray Allen seemed to support Popovich.

"Pop has won a lot games. He's won championships. He knows what he's doing," Allen said.

Popovich has led the Spurs to four NBA titles and has a .681 winning percentage in the regular season and .605 winning percentage in the playoffs. However, his coaching acumen did not buy him a pass from Stern on this particular move.

It is not unusual for the league to fine teams. The NBA also fined the Spurs $50,000 in May, 2007 for not making players available to news reporters during the playoffs.

The then-New Jersey Nets were fined 50,000 in April, 2011 for part-owner Jay-Z visiting the Kentucky Wildcats locker room, and the New York Knicks were fined $200,000 in February, 2011 for conducting illegal draft workouts.

Owners have been hit with substantial fines, too, most recently in October, 2011 when the NBA fined Heat owner Mickey Arison for public comments about negotiations during the 2011 lockout, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has been fined almost $2 million during his tenure.

Perhaps the biggest NBA penalty was levied on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who were fined $3.5 million and docked five first-round picks for illegally signing Joe Smith in 1999.